Here's what Democrats will do to immediately change the House

President Donald Trump declared Thursday he would not sign a bill to keep funding the government because it doesn't provide billions for a border wall with Mexico. Senate Democratic leader Chuck Schumer says Trump is 'throwing a temper tantrum." (Dec. 21)
AP

Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer, D-N.Y., and House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi, D-Calif., center at lectern, and other Democrats gather on the steps of the Capitol to advance their "Better Way" agenda, in Washington, Monday, May 21, 2018.(Photo: J. Scott Applewhite, AP)

WASHINGTON – Having taken control of the House on Thursday, Democrats will move to immediately set a different direction through new rules.

The package of changes ranges from those encouraging diversity – such as allowing religious head scarves to be worn on the House floor – to tougher ethics rules and tweaked legislative procedures that will make it easier to raise taxes.

Rep. Nancy Pelosi, D-Calif., who was elected speaker, helped secure the votes she needed by agreeing to changes sought by moderates aimed at easing the passage of bills with broad bipartisan support. That provision even earned the package the support of one Republican, Rep. Tom Reed of New York, who said Wednesday he will take the rare step of crossing party lines to vote for it.

The changes face opposition from some liberal members who argued new budget rules would make it harder to expand social programs.

Because most Republicans – who set their own rules when they were in charge – are likely to oppose the changes, Democrats probably can't lose more than 18 votes to enact the package.

Here's a look at some of the proposed changes:

Making it easier to raise taxes but still hard to increase spending

Democrats want to end a GOP rule that required supermajority support from three-fifths of House members to raise taxes. They want to reinstate a “pay as you go” – or PAYGO – rule requiring tax cuts or new spending programs be offset with new taxes or spending cuts. (Republicans required that only new spending to be offset.) A few Democrats said they will vote against the entire package, arguing PAYGO would keep Democrats from expanding health care coverage and making other “critical investments” in education and infrastructure.

Marc Goldwein, senior vice president and senior policy director at the Committee for a Responsible Federal Budget, said that if Democrats want to pay for such programs by raising taxes on the rich or on corporations, as some have suggested, PAYGO would help them do that.

Goldwein called the budget rule changes “sensible” but said they will matter only if lawmakers follow them. "They can waive them at any point," he said.

The Biblical Hebraica, the oldest Hebrew Bible printed in the United States, was prepared for the swearing in ceremony of the 116th Congress on January 3, 2019 by request of Congresswoman Debbie Wasserman Schultz. Hannah Gaber, USA TODAY

Thomas Jefferson's copy of the Quran was prepared for use in the swearing in ceremony of the 116th Congress by request of incoming Congresswoman Rashida Tlaib. Howver on the day of the ceremony she decided to use her own Quran instead. Hannah Gaber, USA TODAY

Vice President Mike Pence officiates ceremonial swearing-in of Marsha Blackburn in the Old Senate Chambers at the U.S. Capitol as she becomes Tennessee's first female United States Senator. Jack Gruber, USAT

Vice President Mike Pence officiates ceremonial swearing-in of Senator Martha McSally (R-AZ) holding a Bible recovered from Pearl Harbor in the Old Senate Chambers at the U.S. Capitol. Jack Gruber, USAT

Sen.-elect Lance Gooden (R-TX) poses for a photo with Rep. Maxine Waters (D-CA) during the first session of the 116th Congress at the U.S. Capitol Jan. 03, 2019 in Washington, DC. Under the cloud of a partial federal government shutdown. Pelosi will reclaim her former title as Speaker of the House and her fellow Democrats will take control of the House of Representatives for the second time in eight years. Chip Somodevilla/Getty Images

Rep. Ruben Gallego (D-NM), left, and Rep. Eric Swalwell (D-CA), right, share a laugh as with Rep.-elect Ilhan Omar (D-MN) holds Swalwell's daughter during the first session of the 116th Congress at the U.S. Capitol on Thursday. Chip Somodevilla/Getty Images

Liz Cheney, right, incoming GOP House Conference chairwoman speaks at the start of the 116th Congress and swearing-in ceremony on the floor of the US House of Representatives at the US Capitol. BRENDAN SMIALOWSKI/AFP/Getty Images

WASHINGTON, DC - JANUARY 3: U.S. Rep. Liz Cheney (R-WY) talks during the first session of the 116th Congress. Under the cloud of a partial federal government shutdown, Rep. Nanci Pelosi will reclaim her former title as Speaker of the House and her fellow Democrats will take control of the House of Representatives for the second time in eight years. Chip Somodevilla/Getty Images

Members of the House of Representatives wait for Democratic House Leader Nancy Pelosi to accept the gavel from Republican Congressman from Alaska and Dean of the House Don Young (R) to once again become Speaker of the House in the US Capitol. Pelosi and the House of Representatives are expected to vote later today on a bill to re-open the government, which is in its 11th day of a partial shutdown. JIM LO SCALZO/EPA-EFE

Speaker-designate Rep. Nancy Pelosi enters the chamber during the first session of the 116th Congress at the U.S. Capitol January 03, 2019 in Washington, DC. Under the cloud of a partial federal government shutdown, Pelosi will reclaim her former title as Speaker of the House and her fellow Democrats will take control of the House of Representatives for the second time in eight years. Chip Somodevilla, Getty Images

Rep.-elects Madeleine Dean and Susan Wild along with Rep. Grace Napolitano help put on Susan Wild's congressional pendant during the first session of the 116th Congress at the U.S. Capitol. Chip Somodevilla, Getty Images

Combating climate change

Combating climate change was a campaign issue for Democrats in 2018, and Pelosi responded by relaunching a special House panel to shine a light on the issue.

The 15-member bipartisan panel, to be headed by Rep. Kathy Castor, D-Fla., will have at least six Republicans and have until March 31, 2020, to issue policy recommendations.

The panel has limitations. It won’t have the power to subpoena documents or depose witnesses. It could get caught up in a turf war with some of the standing congressional committees that oversee the environment. And it will have to submit its recommendations to those congressional committees, which will decide whether to act on them.

Toughening ethics

The Democratic House proposal would toughen some rules governing the conduct of members – and may lead to further tightening down the line.

Major provisions include a requirement that House members reimburse taxpayers for any settlements that are the result of discrimination by that member based on race, religion, sex, national origin or disability, among others. The change is in reaction to revelations in recent years that taxpayers paid out hundreds of thousands of dollars to settle such claims.

All House members would be required to go through annual ethics training, under another provision. Previously, only new members were required to take the training.

Lawmakers would be banned from serving as an officer or director at a public company. Craig Holman, with the good government group Public Citizen, said this provision is the result of the indictment of Rep. Chris Collins, R-N.Y., for alleged insider trading involving a pharmaceutical company on whose board he sat. No other members serve on the boards of public companies, Holman said, but about 190 House members hold other positions involving public or private firms.

The same provision calls for the House ethics committee to develop regulations by the end of 2019 to address other involvement by members in companies that could pose a conflict of interest. Holman said he would like to see a ban on members trading stock in companies that do business that falls under the oversight of their committees.

Defending Obamacare

The changes allow Democrats to get involved in the pending challenge to the Affordable Care Act after a federal judge in Texas ruled the landmark health care law unconstitutional. The Trump administration is not defending parts of the law, including its popular protections for people with pre-existing conditions. A group of Democratic states and congressional Democrats plans to appeal the ruling, which will head to the 5th Circuit.

Fighting food stamp changes

After House Republicans failed last year to enact an expansion of work requirements for food stamp recipients, the Trump administration announced in December plans to tighten rules on its own. Democrats' rule package directs the House to explore ways to respond to the administration's proposed changes.

Promoting, protecting diversity

The rules ban discrimination based on sexual orientation or gender identity. An Office of Diversity and Inclusion would be created to increase diversity in the congressional workforce. The Joint Center for Political and Economic Studies, a nonprofit group that attempts to improve the socioeconomic status and civic engagement of African-Americans, issued a series of reports highlighting the lack of diversity among congressional staffs.

One issued last fall that looked at the staff makeup of the congressional delegations in six states found, for example, that none of the senators had a top black staffer. In December, the group launched an online tool to track newly hired top staff of new and returning members.

What's in a name?

Democrats want to "honor our commitment to workers by putting labor back in the Committee on Education and Labor." The Republicans called the panel the "Committee on Education and the Workforce."

The word "government" would be dropped from the name of the Committee on Oversight and Government Reform. The change is intended to emphasize that the investigative panel's jurisdiction covers both government and the private sector. Rep. Elijah Cummings, D-Md., who will chair the committee, said he plans to examine the opioid crisis and the cost of prescription drugs and to investigate the Trump administration.

Posted!

A link has been posted to your Facebook feed.

Newly-elected House Members Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, D-NY, left, and Debbie Mucarsel-Powell (D-FL), center, and Abby Finkenauer, D-IA, right, huddle from the wind and cold as they arrive to gather at the U.S. Capitol for a class photo, Wednesday, Nov. 14, 2018, in Washington. Jack Gruber, USA TODAY

Greg Pence, R-IN, front center right, and John Rose, R-TN, front center left, along with Jim Baird, R-IN, front right, and the other newly-elected House Members of the 116th Congress gather at the U.S. Capitol for a class photo, Wednesday, Nov. 14, 2018, in Washington. Jack Gruber, USA TODAY

Veronica Escobar, D-TX, reaches to shake hands with Andy Levin, D-MI, as newly-elected House Members of the 116th Congress gather at the U.S. Capitol for a class photo, Wednesday, Nov. 14, 2018, in Washington. Jack Gruber, USA TODAY

Republican House member-elect Dan Crenshaw is seen after posing for the 116th Congress members-elect group photo on the East Front Plaza of the U.S. Capitol in Washington, on Nov. 14, 2018. MANDEL NGAN, AFP/Getty Images